She Who Was Lost
by Feistyy
Summary: Where does Levy McGarden really come from?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is Hiro Mashima's; Dragon Ball is Akira Toriyama's

She Who Was Lost

Levy McGarden was taking inventory. She was a smart girl. And smart girls did not fall in love with men who pinned them to trees. They just didn't.

So why had she?

Well, he was strong. Darkly handsome, even if his hair was ridiculous. Driven to succeed, even if that meant he was obnoxiously competitive against his own comrades. A little crass, but fiercely proud at the same time. And even though he'd once tried to annihilate all of her friends, he'd turned into her greatest protector.

She couldn't know that she had fallen for a man just like her father because she couldn't remember her father.

* * *

The child was beautiful. She had her mother's blue hair, her father's dark eyes, and a sharpness in her glance that evidenced the intelligence expected of the progeny of Bulma Briefs and Prince Vegeta.

And in an instant, she was gone.

Immediately, Bulma had called an emergency meeting of Earth's heroes. The dragon balls were gathered. A wish was made.

But Shenron could not help them. He couldn't pass into that dimension. Not when the dragons were in such a state of unrest.

Every year, they tried again, a desperate ritual. Every year, Shenron gave the same answer.

Until one year, he didn't.

* * *

**Which Dragonball cast member visits Fiore? Find out next time on "I Probably Won't Continue This Story!"**


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The world and characters of the Dragon Ball franchise were created by Akira Toriyama and those of Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima.

A/N: You asked for it, so I'm giving this story a shot. The genre is completely out of my wheelhouse and, if you're at all familiar with my other fics, you know that my chapters tend to be pretty short. I will be trying my best, but this is a warning not to expect fast, long updates.

* * *

Chapter 1

Clouds swamped the sky in a deep purple haze. Once again, the Eternal Dragon had come to the Briefs complex. Once again, Bulma wished for the impossible.

"Mighty Shenron, please. I know you must be tired of the same question but I have to ask. Is it still out of your power to return my baby to me?"

"The dragon's of that dimension have now gone to their eternal rest." Earth's heroes held a collective breath. This was a departure from the script that eighteen years of repetition had indelibly carved into their minds. "It is now within my power to return the child of Vegeta and Bulma Briefs to her world of origin."

Yamcha had swiftly crossed to Bulma's side, hand hovering by her arm in case she should faint with relief. Her knees were shaking and her breath was coming fast. Eighteen years of waiting and hoping and trying not to hope too hard and now it was finally over.

* * *

"Well... well then _do_..."

"Bulma, wait! Don't make that wish!" Confusion and an urge to slap Goku warred for prominence in Bulma's mind.

"What are you talking about? I have been waiting for this for..."

"For eighteen years. Yeah." Goku was wearing his serious face. A rare occurrence, and one that commanded rapt and total attention. "Remember that time you guys tried to wish me back after Namek? I got to say no. A lot can happen in eighteen years. I know this is your daughter, but... maybe you should give her the choice."

"And just how do you think she'll react to a dragon showing up to say 'Hey, you can go back to your birth parents now if you want. I'm kinda impatient though, so make up your mind already'?" The dragon's eyes narrowed as the pitch of Bulma's voice climbed.

"Probably better than she would to suddenly teleporting to a world she knows nothing about..." This time it was Gohan who spoke up. "Dad's got a point. But don't worry, Bulma, I've got a plan. Hey, Shenron, is interdimensional travel possible from that other world?"

"It has been done, yes. That dimension is one of magic."

"Perfect. So instead of bringing her here, we'll send someone to get her and figure out the rest as we go. Bulma, I think you're the obvious choice. I mean, it's your kid and you're probably the most likely to be able to be able to figure out how to come back pretty quick."

"I will go as well." All eyes turned to the Saiyan prince. Of course he was there. He just blended into the shadows so well every year that everyone kind of... forgot.

"As Kararot's brat so astutely pointed out. _It's my kid_," he sneered. Raising his voice, he continued, "But more importantly, this so-called dimension of magic has piqued my interest. There are sure to be any number of strong fighters for me to beat into submission. I have grown weary of the meager offerings of this world." He cast a derisive glance over the rest of the group.

Bulma narrowed her eyes and placed her fists on her hips with a firm thump. "Well, alright then, _Your Majesty_. As long as your priorities are in order. Any other volunteers? I'd hate to be stuck alone with this guy for the entire trip. And what girl would want to come to a place that he's the sole ambassador for?"

Over the next twenty silent seconds, a total of forty-two sideways glances were cast.

"Oh, come on guys!" she pleaded, "Goku? Don't tell me you aren't interested in what kind of fighters they have over there."

"Goku will be staying home with his own family. For once." Bulma nearly quailed at firm glare being aimed at her friend by his feisty wife.

"Yeah... Chi Chi's kinda... put her foot down on this one." The way he started hopping up and down holding his right foot in his hand indicated that his statement was meant quite literally.

"Then Trunks, you're coming with us. This is a family outing and as your mother, I order you to come."

The youth rubbed the back of his neck. "But Mom, someone has to stay for company business. You know grandpa's been kind of... unreliable... lately. I'll meet her when you bring her back."

"Fine. Since it's obvious nobody... nobody cares... about... poor little me... and... and my daughter..."

"Jeez, Bulma, turn off the waterworks. Me and Puar will go." Yamcha's arms were crossed and the way he rolled his eye was obviously calculated to convey nonchalance. But after her entire youth in a relationship with him, Bulma knew how to recognise the tension in his jaw that meant he wasn't feeling entirely confident. He was taking a risk for her and she appreciated it. Her husband, however, did not.

"You are not welcome, peon. I fail to see how you could be of any use to us."

"Charm, Vegeta. Yamcha has charm. We need someone who won't scare off the locals. This could work. We would love to have you two join us." She turned to the dragon, who had been waiting more patiently than anticipated. Perhaps after eighteen years, he felt a certain connection to the case himself. "Thank you for waiting, Shenron. Have you kept up?"

"Are you agreed then? Bulma, Vegeta, Yamcha, and Puar will be going to the other dimension to retrieve Garta Briefs?" Everyone nodded as whispers of "Good luck" rustled through the crackling air.

"It is done."

* * *

On the other side of the dimensional divide, Levy McGarden was blissfully unaware that her life was about to change dramatically. In fact, things couldn't be more normal at the moment. Steaming cup of tea in hand, she was curled up on a couch in one of the Council's many libraries, speed-reading an ancient text.

Or trying to speed-read anyway. Even with her Gale-Force Glasses, she was barely breaking average reading speed. She just kept getting so distracted.

It was the biceps in the window.

_No, Levy, that's objectification._

It was the man _attached to_ the biceps in the window.

Gajeel's team was currently having a meeting in one of the library's "glass rooms." From where she was seated, she had a perfect view of Gajeel's arm as he waved a pen lacrima through the air, drawing x's and o's onto a mostly accurate map of Fiore. And occasionally little kitty faces for some reason. Were the Exceeds involved in this mission? That could be interesting... less interesting than rippling muscles, but more interesting than her current assignment. Mostly because she had already turned in a very thorough report.

But, unlike Mr. Redfox, she didn't have a "reputation" to skyrocket her through the ranks. After only four months, he was already a lieutenant and Levy was still just another new recruit. So even though she knew she'd unearthed every possible detail about the Lost Magic of Regeneration, her commander was doing her the "favour" of giving her until the end of the week to turn in "anything else she might come across" before he officially submitted the report. It was vexing, but the only way to prove him wrong was to wait until the commendations came down from above. Which should be in two more dreadfully inefficient days. The Council had a lot of rules that didn't make much sense, but as long as nobody was getting hurt because of it, Levy could play their games.

Suddenly, a magically amplified voice rang through the stacks.

"All Magical Detention units report to the main lobby immediately. That's all detention forces to the lobby... immediately."

Adherence to that request was secured by the following coarse scream and brilliant explosion from the expected meeting point.

Clearly, someone had been dragged in very much against their will. And they had some incredible magic.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The world and characters of the Dragon Ball franchise were created by Akira Toriyama and those of Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima.

Chapter 2

By the time Levy arrived in the main lobby, the bright light had faded. The explosion had left a sizable crater in the tile, and nearly everything not bolted down was currently laying on the floor. Several Rune Specialists were scurrying to erect a barrier around the prisoners, but at this point it didn't really seem necessary. There were three of them. Well, three humans and an Exceed. Two men, one woman. One of the men was leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed and his sour face turned pointedly away from the woman, who had a fist on her hip, a finger pointed against his chest, a very loud voice, and a very apparent headache. The second man and the Exceed were just standing in the middle of the forming Rune Circle, smiling and waving. Levy could see a broken pair of Magic Suppression handcuffs dangling limply from the wrist of the moody man in the back.

There was an awful lot of whispering going on.

As more and more of her coworkers filtered in and started asking questions, Levy garnered a basic idea of what had happened.

1) The strangers had surrendered themselves of their own volition.

2) Nobody, even their foremost language expert, could understand a word that they were saying.

3) This became a problem when the shorter man, who seemed to think the receptionist was just exceptionally stupid, resorted to intimidation.

4) Lobby security had jumped into action and cuffed the man.

5) The man had looked slightly annoyed.

6) Suppression cuffs had no apparent effect, as he suddenly emitted a powerful force that blew the guards away from him. Only then did he break the chain with a mere flexing of his wrists, cracked his knuckles, and issued a challenging glare to all present.

7) The woman approached, grabbed him by the ear, and dragged him over to the pillar to begin scolding him.

8) The second man spent the entire confrontation rubbing the back of his neck while the Exceed on his shoulder hid its eyes.

9) Once he realised that they had a growing audience, the second man had begun shaking everyone's hand and laughing. Once he realised there were too many people for him to introduce himself to everyone personally, he had started the waving.

And that's when Levy had come in.

Suddenly, everyone went on guard. The woman had suddenly issued and sigh of infinite exasperation and turned away from the short man throwing her hands in the air. She then started digging through her bag. Those closest prepared for whatever new weapon was to be unleashed.

She pulled out three strange headsets, each with an earpiece and a small, coloured screen. She tossed one to the smiler, who surprisingly caught the incoming object in the hand not currently occupied by waving without even looking at it. She chucked one at the brooder, who also snatched it out of the air without even acknowledging its existence. And then they all affixed their new accessory to their faces. And looked confused. Rather, the woman and the taller man looked confused. Apparently, whatever technology this was wasn't working properly. The man tried tapping it with his finger and shaking it and the woman snapped something at their companion, who merely rolled his eyes and drawled something that needed no dictionary to be translated as "Give it a minute, stupid wench."

Levy wove through the crowd and sidled up to Gajeel, easy to locate because of his height.

"What do you think?" She asked, having to raise her voice to be heard over the myriad of others asking each other the same thing.

He furrowed his brow, grabbed her wrist, and forced a pathway to the front to the mass. Tilting his head to the side, he took a sniff.

"Reminds me of Edolas," he grunted. "The air there smelled kinda different and these guys have something like that sticking to 'em. Not the same, but it still reminds me of it. And the short guy reeks like a monkey."

It was then that the scouters had analysed enough of the language to begin translating.

Luckily for Gajeel's face, it was also then that the containment runes were completed.

Sparks flew as the short man was repulsed by the barrier. He managed the land somewhat gracefully on one knee, snarled, and prepared to launch another attack, but the woman had already interposed herself between him and Gajeel and was digging through her bag again. She withdrew another headset and held it out to him, eyes wide and nodding furiously. He ignored her in favour of snarling back at her partner, so Levy took it upon herself to accept it and quickly donned it in the same way as she'd seen the strangers do.

The strange woman smiled. "Hi! Can you understand me now? I'd think you can, I know for a fact my language is preprogrammed into that thing. You can, right?" Levy nodded, struck dumb. "Oh, good. I was worried for a minute these things would be useless, you know. They'd never encountered your language before, you see. Well, in any case they let Vegeta know that no one here's a real threat. I mean, that guy beside you could give Yamcha a real beating, sure, but it doesn't look like anyone here's even close to... Oh! Excuse me. I'm Bulma! Bulma Briefs, genius heiress. The idiot behind me with the stupid hair is my husband, Vegeta, and the idiot behind me with the stylish hair is Yamcha. That's Puar on his shoulder. Really sorry about all this. You see, you can probably tell we aren't really from here and Vegeta has a bit of a temper... we're actually looking for our daughter. She should be eighteen years old this June and if she inherited her mother's looks, she's probably the most beautiful girl in the country, so I'm sure you've probably..."

"Woman, cease your prattling and let the child answer." Vegeta, who'd attention had been diverted from Gajeel at the mention of his own name, had decided it was time to get things done. "We are searching for an eighteen-year-old female. Her name is Garta. However, as she disappeared while in her infancy, she was likely assigned another. She has blue hair, brown eyes, and the regal bearing of a Saiyan princess. Have you heard of anyone fitting this description?"

Neither parent seemed to realise just how vague their description was. So vague, in fact, that Levy herself fit it, more or less. "I'm sorry, but there are many girls like that around here. I don't know what it's like where you come from, but blue hair isn't exactly a rare commodity in these parts."

The woman's face fell. "Ah. That's right. I'm sure this world is just as big as our own. And I can't exactly make a Daughter Radar. Or can I... maybe if I take genetic material from both Vegeta and myself, I would be able to... but the possible combinations are just mind-boggling... maybe..."

"Um... If you'd like, we could put out an announcement. You kind of wound up at the best possible place. We're Magical Law Enforcement. And since there certainly seems to be some sort of magic at work here..."

Bulma's eyes shimmered making her look at least half her age. "Could you, please?"

Levy elbowed Gajeel, breaking his now one-sided staring contest with Vegeta. Reaching up on tiptoe, she whispered a request in his ear.

Using the advantage of his extra height and volume, the strangers' appeal was relayed across the lobby.

"Oi! Shut up! They're looking for an eighteen-year old girl, blue hair, brown eyes, probably doesn't know who her biological parents are. What are you waiting for, look into it!"

If there's one thing the Magic Councils Detention Forces were known for, it was their ability to follow orders. And while there were a few sidelong-glances sparked by just who the order was coming from, the effect was instantaneous. The lobby transformed into a fully mobilised hive as all council employees scrambled out on the investigation.

Levy smiled, turning her attention back to Bulma's group. "You shouldn't have to wait long. It's nearly lunch... would you like to join us for some tea?"

The relieved older woman nodded gratefully. "Tea sounds great, thanks."

And so, grabbing the sleeve of Gajeel's jacket, Levy strode out into the street. Grabbing the sleeve of Vegeta's jacket, Bulma strode after her. And Yamcha, just a little slow on the uptake, grabbed Puar's tail and hurried after.


	4. Chapter 3

Levy slowly stirred her cup of tea, watching as the inch of sugar desperately trying to settle into the bottom slowly dissolved. The cafe seemed oddly crowded. Especially since they were the only ones there. Both the emptiness and the lack of perceived space were probably due to two of their party giving off distinct "Stay the hell away from me" vibes. Bulma and Levy had taken a table for two in the back corner, leaving the men to sulk, sulk, and look extremely uncomfortable, while Puar eyed the cakes in the display case. Apparently Bulma either hadn't realised or didn't care that the men had no way of effectively communicating on their own if Gajeel didn't have one of those translating headsets.

Not that Gajeel hadn't tried. Keeping one wary eye on Vegeta, he'd mostly turned to Yamcha to say "Nice cat. I got a cat too. Better than yours. Wish he were here, but he had some punks to take care of in Rosetown."

This had resulted in an awkward chuckled and plaintive glance to Vegeta from Yamcha, who wasn't sure whether or not the comment was meant to be hostile, and a derisive snort and plaintive glance to heaven from Vegeta, who didn't care either way.

Put simply, it was tense.

"So," Levy chirped, "tell me about your daughter?"

Bulma patted her pants pocket, looking for a cigarette to complement her coffee. Of all the things she could have forgotten… "Well, there really isn't much to tell. She just… vanished. I mean, my dad's the leading scientific mind where we come from, and I'm quite a genius myself, so there are always all kinds of experiments going on at home, you know. My current theory is that my project and my father's project were somehow placed in too close proximity to one another and BAM interdimensional portal. I'd just taken my eyes off her for a second because my son wanted to show me some new trick he'd learned but she was at that exploring stage… It took a while to figure out where she'd been sent to, and even longer to figure out how to go after her, but here we are. I'm sure I'll know her as soon as I see her though. I _am_ her mother after all. I think I should be able to recognise my own features. They are pretty striking, after all…" Her eyes gave Levy a quick once-over and her brow furrowed.

"How old are you?"

Levy's eyebrows shot up. "Me? I'm eigh… no. Twenty-five. Technically, I'm twenty-five."

The suspicion didn't leave Bulma's eyes.

"I know I don't look it, but it's just because I was frozen in time for a few years. Um… it's probably best not to ask."

Bulma, well-versed in stories best left untold, nodded sagely and sighed. "You do look like I'd pictured her, though… but of course, it wouldn't be that easy, now would it?" She sank down into the bistro chair crossing her left leg over her right and her left arm over her stomach. Her right hand hadn't quite received the memo that there were no cigarettes to be had and was dangling a phantom. "I'm sure you have parents of your own, too. Here I am, off in dreamland. What would your mother say if she knew I was coveting her daughter?" She tittered and took a healthy swig of coffee.

"Um… actually… I don't. I don't have parents."

For a second Levy felt strange to be sharing this information with a woman she had just met. And then she realised that she was actually feeling strange about _not_feeling strange. Something about this woman was just welcoming.

"My first memories are of living in the dormitory of the mage-guild Gajeel and I used to belong to. Most of the kids there were orphans too, though, so I just never really thought about it much. Master always said he found me in a cabbage-patch, but I'm sure that's just a figure of speech. I was probably entrusted to his care by some distant relative. I have my friends. Great friends! I don't need a family that didn't need me."

Blinking only partly to stave off tears from burnt tastebuds, Bulma set down her cup and furrowed her brow. "That's a very mature way of looking at it. You're not curious though? I know I am. About my daughter. It's only natural to want to know what your genes are doing."

"Well, I…" Levy was interrupted quite forcefully by Gajeel's body.

Suddenly, her tea was several feet away from her, all over the floor. So was the table. And Bulma. And a large pile of steaming Iron Dragon, working up a snarl.

"Why, you little…"

"Bulma, we have wasted more than enough time here," his projector sneered. "These children have nothing to offer but idle chitchat. I can find Garta myself."

"Vegeta! There was no reason to throw the poor boy across the shop!" The barista seemed to agree with Bulma's summation, nodding mutely from his position of terrified flatness against the wall behind the counter. Or perhaps the frequency at which he was shaking just made it look like he was nodding.

Meanwhile, Gajeel had hoisted himself into a crouch, onto one knee, back upright with a hand on Levy's chair, and a second later, right in Vegeta's face.

"Alright, prick. I can see you have some anger issues. I used to have those too. Sometimes I relapse. I've been playing Good Cop with you for Levy's sake and 'cause I'm on the Council now. Don't make me go Bad Cop. We'll help you find your daughter. We know this place a hell of a lot better than you. So sit back and watch."

"If you think I need the help of an insolent pup like…" Suddenly, there was a lot more space between the two men and Vegeta found himself hissing at Yamcha's profile instead of Gajeel's smug mug.

"Guys, guys, we're cool, right? Cool? Let's relax! The ladies are talking. I mean, what's a little time, Vegeta? Time is sand in the hourglass, time is a construct of the mind, time is… okay, alright, I'll go sit down." The the double-broiler of glares had just torched Yamcha's guts. But not before his words had wandered intot the steel-trap that was Bulma's mind. Her muttering wound through the coffee shop.

"Timetimewhatistimetimetimetimewhatdoestimemeantime'saconstructsoitisn'tnecessarilythesameinanytwodimensionsitcanrunatadifferentpacebedividedintodifferentunitshowdoestimeworkwhatistime…

What time is it?"

* * *

A/N: So this has been sitting in my folder 3/4 finished for about a year now. Bad me. I was wondering why I was getting messages about things I thought I'd already addressed.


End file.
